MSU's Joe Dan Gold (33) greets Loyola's Jerry Harkness prior to their famous NCAA Tournament game on March 15, 1963, in East Lansing, Mich.

Written by

Mike Lopresti
USA TODAY Sports

They are the champions you might not remember, who lived the extraordinary season you might not have known. But to begin to understand the special journey of the 1963 Loyola of Chicago Ramblers, all that is needed is one picture.

The photo, taken before an NCAA tournament game 50 years ago, shows a black player from Loyola and a white player from Mississippi State shaking hands.

The Loyola player is Jerry Harkness, captain for an upstart team that had not only stormed up the rankings but also flouted the unwritten rules of 1963 by starting four African-Americans. ...